The California Honeydrops turned one of the most elegant and serene venues into an unapologetically groovy dance floor on July 1st, 2025. It was as if the Denver Botanic Gardens became the cobblestone streets of New Orleans during Jazz Fest. I watched countless strangers let the music move through them. Limbs flowing freely, smiles beaming ear to ear, and an undeniable sense of joy enshrouded the gardens. The octet of horns, strings, drums, vocals and even a washboard provided a timeless performance drenched in a jubilant soulfulness.
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For over a decade, The California Honeydrops have spread this effervescent joy to anyone lucky enough to listen. From humble beginnings in 2007, the band was founded by lead singer Lech Wierzynski and drummer Benjamin Malament. The name was inspired by the 1930s jugband, The Tennessee Chocolate Drops, who have a similarly bouncy and effortlessly fun twang to them. The California Honeydrops originally began busking the streets and playing in the subway systems of Oakland, CA. This is where they learned improvisation, letting the music lead them. Their improvising technique continues today, providing a one-of-a-kind experience for each crowd. The band members grew from two to now eight musicians, all tasked with thinking and playing on the fly without skipping a beat — and that they did.
Wierzynski emits this sense of familiarity, like a stranger you’d sit next to at the bar and become bourbon drinking buddies with by the end of the night. With his friendly ease and humor, he was able to engage and encourage the audience to let loose from the first note. The show started with the lively hits, “Keep On Diggin’” and “Live Learn,” setting the tone that it was going to be a dance party. The relinquishing of control and inhibition was infectious, spreading from fan to fan, first with a simple foot tap, next a mindless hip shake, and eventually, a full-body release of any and all stress through loud and whimsical movement.
With both lilies and laughs filling the garden, you could smell the euphoria. Up next on the impromptu setlist was a classic Colorado anthem, “Get Real High.” However, there is more that meets the eye in the poetic lyricism of this song. With a fusion of a blues and bluegrass sound, Wierzynski sings “Your lovin’ touch/ Bringin’ back an old part of me / Like a warm rain fallin’/ Bringin’ back sweet memories.” This tune encompasses the type of nostalgia that takes you back to a young summer filled with love, when life felt a little more simple, yet the love you felt was real and deep.
This venue truly creates an environment of its own that outside noise and stressful worldly matters cannot permeate. As the sun faded and the evening breeze flowed through the crowd, the Honeydrops wound down their show with the song, “Good Times” in which Wierzynski sings, “The evening sun is sinking low / The clock on the wall says it’s time to go / But I’m gonna get in the groovin’/ Let the good times roll.” And that is exactly what the audience did. No one was packing up early to beat traffic, rather mothers swayed with their babies like the garden grass, lovers hands entwined like vine wrapped around tree and individuals yearned wishfully like a dandelion waiting for a gust of wind.
The California Honeydrops felt like July in New Orleans, sitting by the bayou watching children double dutch and friends picnic. The kind of summer day you look back on in old age thinking to yourself, “Those were the good ole days.” That is the transformative power that this soulful music can have on your imagination. So if you find that they are stopping in a town near you — don’t hesitate. Dancing to their music is more than just a night away from reality, it is an active opportunity to explore self-expression and acceptance. Oh, and really good music.